Man, 31, Who Cared for Dying Neighbor, 89, Mourns Her Death

Eighty-nine-year-old Norma Cook passed away on Wednesday in West Hollywood, Calif. from leukemia. Cook had made headlines after she moved in to the apartment of her 31-year-old neighbor, Chris Salvatore, who agreed to take care of her.

Salvatore and Cook became fast friends and Salvatore is crushed at her passing. "She was a beautiful human,” Salvatore told People. "She changed the world with her big heart and ability to speak with anyone, of any age."

Cook lived in a bed in Salvator's living room and he knew the end was near. "The last thing she did was put her arm around my neck, she was so weak, I don’t know how she did it, and pulled me in and kissed me and said, ‘I love you.' That was Saturday."

Salvatore also says Cook, who was diagnosed with leukemia a decade ago, wanted to enjoy a final Valentine’s Day with him. "I got her a bunch of candy, a big chocolate heart box and roses and I walked in the door and said, ‘Will you be my valentine?' he says. “She just wanted to spend one last Valentine’s Day with me and I wanted her to feel very special in her final moments.”

Cook and Salvatore became friends after he moved into their apartment building four years ago. Their relationship was so strong that he also became her power of attorney and caretaker since she had no immediate family living near her.

Salvatore also says Cook's last words to him were short, but powerful: "I love you."